Aussie beauty Courtney Eaton is taking the film industry by storm with her breakout role in 'Mad Max: Fury Road.'

Photo: Marcelo Krasilcic

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"I was 16 when I was scouted as a model. I was still in school and too young to do anything, though. Then I got cast in the movie. On my first day, they said, 'Here's your mark, go, stand there.' And I thought, Wait, what's a mark? What are these? What am I supposed to do? Everyone looked after me."

Photo: Marcelo Krasilcic

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"I never wanted to act. I wasn't shy as a student, but I wasn't into drama. I didn't like having to get up in front of people and be all, 'Ta-da!'"

Photo: Marcelo Krasilcic

,

"There was nothing much to do—reception was horrible, and everything in the town closed at lunchtime—so we would all just hang. Now Abbey, Riley, and I live five minutes from each other in L.A. and see each other almost every day!"

Photo: Marcelo Krasilcic

Movies

Meet the Teen Girl Who Landed a Role in the Biggest Movie of the Summer

Aussie beauty Courtney Eaton is taking the film industry by storm with her breakout role in 'Mad Max: Fury Road.'

I'm not someone who's like, 'I want a dress that's tight and looks hot.' I prefer things that are a bit different, stuff that I can add my own little edge to," says actress Courtney Eaton, 19, as she peruses racks of coveted Chanel pieces. "Who wouldn't wear Chanel? I love it! The label can be really feminine and very cool."

It seems the iconic brand is pretty fond of her, too. The Los Angeles–based up-and-comer is in New York to attend the star-studded Chanel Paris-Salzburg Métiers d'Art fashion show. Growing up in the relad culture of Bunbury, Australia, Courtney didn't exactly see herself as a fashionista. But, watching her try on a slew of dreamy dresses, you'd think it's second nature to her. "In Australia, you can kind of get away with being half naked, with no shoes on. It's always salty hair, no makeup, never too done up," explains the ingenue, whose unaffected beauty lends a lovely contrast to the beaded frock she's trying on. "Australians are very laid-back."

With a breakout role in this summer's Mad Max: Fury Road, Courtney will soon have a life that is anything but laid-back. "I was 16 when I was scouted as a model. I was still in school and too young to do anything, though. Then I got cast in the movie," explains Courtney, who plays a surprisingly badass damsel in distress. "On my first day, they said, 'Here's your mark, go, stand there,'" she remembers. "And I thought, Wait, what's a mark? What are these? What am I supposed to do? Everyone looked after me."

While filming for five months in the African desert, alongside Charlize Theron and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Courtney grew especially close with her castmates Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, and Abbey Lee. "There was nothing much to do—reception was horrible, and everything in the town closed at lunchtime—so we would all just hang. Now Abbey, Riley, and I live five minutes from each other in L.A. and see each other almost every day!"

Her new world of rubbing shoulders with A-listers continues later on, at the Chanel runway show. Courtney takes in the opulent Austrian-themed collection (think a glam Sound of Music), and it's evident that she's been transported to another universe: "I never wanted to act. I wasn't shy as a student, but I wasn't into drama. I didn't like having to get up in front of people and be all, 'Ta-da!'" Fortunately there's no going back now!